Stewardship of Arlington Diocese's finances grounded in faith

Love of people, the Eucharist and the church are reasons men
are drawn to the priesthood; an affinity for collection
baskets and financial minutiae are not. Yet a commitment to
financial prudence and strength is essential to a flourishing
parish and diocese, and Arlington Bishop Paul S. Loverde has
made it a priority during his tenure.

Timothy Cotnoir, diocesan finance officer, said the diocese
is in strong shape financially "due in large part to Bishop
Loverde's tireless efforts" focused on Catholic education,
assisting the poor and encouraging the faithful to
prayerfully discern their contribution to the Bishop's Lenten
Appeal and parish offertory.

"The bishop has a great ability to help people understand
what we are trying to do with funds," added Development
Office Director Robert Mueller. "He explains how our efforts
fuel the mission of the church, (which is) to bring
people to Christ."

In 2001, two years after arriving in Arlington, Bishop
Loverde launched the "Rooted in Faith - Forward in Hope"
capital campaign. With an ambitious goal of $75 million, it
set out to support a diocese that had grown more than 260
percent since it was founded in 1974.

The bishop hoped the campaign would "allow us to come
together in deeper unity," he said in a 2003 interview with
the Catholic Herald. "What we do these next few years will
have a tremendous impact on our future."

The campaign officially ended in 2007, and with about $97
million collected from 28,500 donors, that future is robust.

The monies raised went toward Catholic education, including
the founding of Saint John Paul the Great Catholic High
School in Dumfries, tuition assistance and a youth ministry
endowment. It financed a variety of Catholic Charities
efforts, such as renovations to Christ House in Alexandria
and the formation of St. Margaret of Cortona Transitional
Residences in Woodbridge, which provide emergency housing for
homeless families. It also funded the creation of San Damiano
Spirituality Center, a renovated Franciscan monastery in
White Post, and the St. Rose of Lima Priest Retirement Villa
in Annandale.

Churches received a hefty portion of the fundraising total,
with nearly 40 percent going back to the parishes. It
provided seed money for the construction of Holy Trinity
Church in Gainesville and for new churches for All Saints in
Manassas and St. Theresa in Ashburn. It also funded many
parish renovation projects.

While the capital campaign supported an expanded vision for
the diocese, the BLA has financed its ongoing ministries,
including the Vocations Office, evangelization efforts,
victim assistance, youth and young adult ministries, and the
Office for Family Life and the Respect Life Office, as well
as the Virginia Catholic Conference.

During the bishop's first year in Arlington, 20 percent of
parishioners participated in the BLA, and around $4.5 million
was raised. By 2014, that had jumped to 33 percent of
diocesan parishioners raising more than $17 million. Since
2000, the BLA has collected nearly $155 million.

Along with the capital campaign and BLA, the bishop has
overseen the implementation of a scholarship tax-credit
program, which helps low-income students attend Catholic
schools. In 2011, he established the Foundation for the
Catholic Diocese of Arlington, a nonprofit that receives and
grows restricted charitable endowment gifts that provide
long-term support to parishes, schools and the diocese.

"The bishop could have stopped there," said Mueller. "Instead
he asked, 'Is there anything more we should be doing?'" After
gathering information from around the diocese, he launched
"Partners United in the Heart of Christ: Leadership
Initiative 2015." Serving as a mini capital campaign, the
initiative is a limited fundraising effort with a goal of
$55.5 million. More than $43 million has been raised from
approximately 100 priests and 400 families.

In all his fundraising efforts, Bishop Loverde is "engaged
(and) transparent," said Cotnoir. His stewardship, he added,
always has been "solidly rooted in his love of Christ and for
His bride, the church."